


Regret

by tveckling



Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Injury, Disfigurement, It all happened in the past though, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 02:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10732185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tveckling/pseuds/tveckling
Summary: Written for the prompts: "“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to." and "It doesn’t bother me."





	Regret

Mercutio swallowed heavily, hesitating where he stood in the doorway. He had meant to step right in without hesitation and apologize quickly to Benvolio, and then act like normal, but the moment he had opened the door all his plans had fallen apart. The door handle was still tightly gripped in his hand, the force of his grip making the edges bite into his palm, and he just couldn’t move. He had tried talking, saying something, anything, but the big lump in his throat made it impossible. All that was in his head was Benvolio of the now, lying covered in bandages as white as the sheets of his bed, and the Benvolio of the past, the one writhing in agony as Mercutio tried to stop the bleeding. 

“Hey, what you doing over there?” a hoarse voice said, making Mercutio jump and look up. 

Over in the bed Benvolio smiled tiredly and waved at him. Or, he tried to smile. With half your face covered it was hard, Mercutio imagined. “Come on, already. I’m not going to bite.”

“Never worried about that, not with the way you faint at blood,” Mercutio joked by reflex, then blanched as he registered his words. Benvolio, however, only chuckled and waved again, so Mercutio forced himself to let go of the door handle and step into the room. It was easier with every step, but by the time he reached the bed he sank down on the chair next to it, completely exhausted. 

“What’s this? A cat managed to get your tongue for once?” Benvolio asked with laughter in his voice when Mercutio didn’t say anything. 

Mercutio twitched at the joke, but kept silently staring downwards instead. The stump where Benvolio’s right hand should have been, it grated at him. Made him remember exactly how it had gotten lost and what had caused it. 

Regret bubbled up inside him, an unfamiliar feeling that made tears spring to his eyes. He kept blinking furiously, but still his vision kept on turning blurry. “I-” He swallowed hard and tried again, hoping his voice didn’t break off. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to- it was an accide- no. No, it wasn’t. I knew what I was doing, I just didn’t know… I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Mercutio expected anger, because after everything that had transpired, because of him, how could Benvolio not be angry? But Benvolio’s voice gentler than ever, coaching Mercutio to look at him. “Cutio. I want you to know, I never blamed you. Not for a moment.” He laughed, a hacking sound that cut off soon when it grated on Benvolio’s throat too much. “Well, maybe I did, for a few moments after. But I got over it, okay? You did what you did, yeah, and you weren’t thinking about what would happen. But there was no way you could have known this was going to happen. If you had you would have done everything different, I’m sure of it.”

Mercutio nodded furiously. “If I had known- I wouldn’t have have done anything if I’d known. I wouldn’t have made you come with me to begin with! Because of me, you-you lost your hand. And your face…”

“Hey,” Benvolio said, raising the one eyebrow free of bandages. “Don’t apologize. And really, it doesn’t bother me.”

“What?” Mercutio shook his head and leaned forward, gripping a handful of the bed sheet. “Are you kidding me? You- you got disfigured. Lost a hand, and who knows what your face will look like, and numerous scars over your body, and you say _it doesn’t bother you_?”

Benvolio shook his head and put a hand on top of Mercutio’s. “I would have been willing to lose everything if I had needed to. I did what I did, and I have no regrets. After all, if I haven’t you would have taken the brunt of the damage.” He smiled crookedly. “And besides, even if I don’t have my good looks, I still have my good wits and charm, and what else do you need to keep a man?” His smile remained, but there was a hesitation and worry in it that hurt to look at. 

Mercutio frowned and rose from the chair, leaning down over the bed and pressing his lips to Benvolio’s. It was hard and quick, and when Mercutio pulled back he was glaring. “If you ever start to doubt my feelings I’m going to beat your ass.”

Benvolio sniggered and shook his head, pulling down Mercutio’s head so they could rest their foreheads against each other. “I guess you’ll just have to remind me then, so I don’t start to doubt,” he said quietly. 

Mercutio closed his eyes and took a breath. “I’ll never let you start doubting,” he swore. Never.


End file.
